I worked as a mechanic at a Fiat/Alfa Romeo dealership. The Alfa were OK cars, sorta. Better built than the Fiats, whose letters were thought to stand for F.ound I.n A. T.oilet. Give me a Toyota any day, they last forever.
The little X19 and Fiat 500 were classic cars, but installing A/C on the X19 meant removing the entire body. I just remember having to use a hammer on nearly everything on the Fiats, it felt more like blacksmith work!
One strategy is to buy a Kiev 60 and try it out. If it's no good, buy another one. Sooner or later you will get a good one. Use the first one or two that you buy for spare parts, in case you have to fix the good one some day.
I realize this like like asking which 1970s Italian car is most reliable, but I'm asking anyway. I have access to a 50mm Flektogon in P6 mount and it would be fun to give it a try. Would I be best off with an actual Pentacon 6, a Praktisix, or a Kiev of some flavor with the P6 mount (preferably gone over by Arax)? Or should I just run screaming the other direction and not bother.
Or, you know, you could buy only one and CLA it like you should do with any camera.
he little X-19 and Fiat 500 were classic cars, but installing A/C on the X-19 meant removing the entire body. I just remember having to use a hammer on nearly everything on the Fiats, it felt more like blacksmith work!
I always heard FIAT stood for Fix It Again, Tony. Ford stands for Fix Or Repair Daily.
By comparison, my weird, funky, very quirky 1962 Nash Metropolitan was a paragon of reliability, even with its Lucas Electrics (David Lucas, Prince of Darkness) wiring and positive ground system. It could go a reasonably long time without needing repairs, and the things that broke were things that could reasonably be expected to wear out on a 40 year old car. It did get me in some sticky situations with shorting out because I drove through a puddle when it was raining. But that could always be dealt with by getting a push start or a jump, and then driving the car for 20+ minutes to recharge the battery.
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